FBI's Sinister New $1 Billion Project Will Track Everyone By Their Face

FBI’s Sinister New $1 Billion Project Will Track Everyone By Their Face

How would you feel if the government could easily track your movements by automatically identifying your face on images captured by the ever-growing network of CCTV of cameras in America? The FBI is will be able to do just that soon, with its one-billion-dollar Next Generation Identification program.

The Bureau argues that the project's goal "is to reduce terrorist and criminal activities by improving and expanding biometric identification and criminal history information services through research, evaluation, and implementation of advanced technology." That's all good in my book, although I have my doubts about its actual efficacy for new criminals.

But, while modernizing the networking between local, state and federal agencies to speed up the identification of criminals through new fingerprint analysis and databases is great, there are other biometric parameters that may be easily abused. Chief among them: facial identification.

With this system, the FBI and its collaborating administrations would be able to apply facial identification to any image source. Using a much more sophisticated version of the technology found in Facebook or iPhoto, law enforcement agents would be able to quickly go through catalogs of mugshots, images of tattoos or even street photos in search of specific individuals. And of course, that includes an expansive network of CCTV cameras that dot landscapes and street corners across the country.

While America will not become a science fiction Big Brother movie for the time being, you can be sure that this is where we are going. Older video cameras didn't have neither the resolution nor the connectivity to work with a centralized, sophisticated facial recognition system. But this has changed fast: ultra-cheap, inexpensive HD cameras are now being installed everywhere and, very soon, the ability of anyone with access to such system to track everyone on the streets will be an omnipresent reality.

Just think about this: in the New York subway system alone, there are now 3700 security cameras online. Three thousand and seven hundred cameras is a network that you can't escape unless you wear a balaclava. Of those, a remarkable 507 are "providing live feeds to NYPD's Command Center from three key transit hubs: Grand Central Station, Penn Station, and Times Square." And that number is growing.

The US has been pushing for these networks for some time now. In 2009, the federal government gave state and local administrations $300 million "to fund an ever-growing array of cameras." While it's not as bad as the United Kingdom—where there is an estimated one CCTV camera per 14 citizens—you can't go around any big city without being watched almost in every street and every public transportation line.

From M.o.1 -- This is something I've been telling you was coming for quite sometime now. Rumor has it that this thing has been present for a while now however now that they are going oublic about it......it's about to come full circle.

Thanks to the FBI, the United States government will soon have a nationwide system in place capable of monitoring and identifying “persons of interest” virtually anywhere. The Next Generation Identification (NGI) system is designed to aid the FBI in tracking down and capturing criminals.

Fingerprints have been the primary unique identifier for law enforcement agencies of all levels for a century. Even with billions of samples on record, no two fingerprints have ever been found to be alike.

Fingerprints are just one unique identifier, though, and much of the accumulated fingerprint data is not merged and easily accessible. NGI will include voice recognition, iris and retina scan data, facial recognition, DNA analysis, and more in an automated system designed to help law enforcement identify and capture suspects more efficiently and effectively.

NGI is designed to integrate with surveillance camera systems across the country. An algorithm will be used to automatically scan surveillance video and compare faces to criminal mugshots to alert authorities when wanted suspects are identified. The FBI database will also have the ability to identify unique scars or tattoos on potential suspects.

Many computers and consumer electronic devices rely on biometric features to identify and authenticate users. Some desktop and laptop computers include fingerprint scanners that can be used in place of a password, or in conjunction with a password, for stronger, two-factor authentication. There is some speculation that Apple may include fingerprint security for its iOS devices, and Android mobile devices have an option to use facial recognition to unlock access.

For privacy advocates, though, there’s a huge difference between using your own biometric features as a security measure to protect your computers and mobile devices, and “Big Brother” rolling out a nationwide system to automate the capability to spy on the entire population. Privacy advocates are concerned about the possible abuse of the system, or the prospect that unauthorized users might be able to hack the system and gain access to sensitive data.

Earlier this year Facebook came under fire from both privacy advocates and the United States Senate over its implementation of facial recognition technology. The Facebook system is designed to recognize individuals to offer up suggestions for tagging photos—ostensibly to entice people to engage more on the social network.

At senate hearings investigating Facebook’s use of facial recognition technology, the FBI offered its own perspective on the risks and value of facial recognition. Senator Al Franken, however, expressed concerns that such a system could be abused by law enforcement or government agencies to identify protesters or participants of political rallies.

A system like NGI is a double-edged sword. Most people would agree that a system that helps law enforcement locate and identify suspects and known criminals more efficiently is a good thing. However, the law abiding citizens of the United States are generally opposed to having the government monitor their every move.

The trick is finding a balance that helps the FBI or other agencies use technology to work more effectively, without infringing on the privacy or Constitutional rights of average citizens at the same time.